INGREDIENTS ¾ granulated sugar ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 2 eggs 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon of vanilla 12-ounce bag of frozen raspberries ½ cup chopped pecans, for topping 1 tablespoons granulated sugar, for topping 1 tablespoons lemon juice, for topping 1 teaspoon cinnamon, for topping Whipped cream,…
How My Instagram Posts Impact Our F&B Operation
Social media has had a huge impact on Grosse Pointe Yacht Club’s F&B operation since Executive Chef Colby Newman came on board and started posting pictures of his food. With only 650 followers on Instagram, I’m far from “instafamous.” But creating an account several years ago where I post only pictures of my food has…
How Our Chef’s Table Satisfies the Majority
Lawrence McFadden, CMC, General Manager of The Union Club of Cleveland, was able to replace the club’s food-and-beverage committee with a weekly chef’s community table. Here’s how. The menu needs of private clubs are varied and vast. Picture a family sitting down to dine together at their club. The grandfather orders liver and onions, while…
What Club Chefs ‘Knead’ to Know about Pizza
As dining skews casual and small plates remain popular, pizza is the perfect menu item to satisfy both trends. Pizza has an eatability and versatility that can’t be beat. It satisfies both the casual dining and small-plate trends. It can be dressed up or down. It’s good any time of day. And it has both…
What a Dream Job Really Looks Like
Glenmoor CC’s Executive Chef Penelope Wong wears a lot of hats and takes on an immense amount of pressure—but the small successes are what keep her coming back for more. Too many conversations these days center around the lack of bodies to hire, the dwindling quality of today’s labor force, and the need for skilled…
Forsyth CC Hits a Sweet Spot with its New Ice Cream Menu
Forsyth CC’s recently purchased a commercial ice cream machine and Pastry Chef Cody Middleton is now able to create artisan ice cream and sorbets for plated desserts, intermezzos and more. Ice cream is a treat enjoyed by people of all ages. It elicits a nostalgic, emotional response and it can create so much happiness for…
Roasted Kelly Way Garden Beet Salad
Ingredients: For the salad: 4 to 5 red Beets, washed Oil for Roasting ½ lb. Fresh Arugula, stemmed, washed, patted dry 6 ozs. Skinny Beans, trimmed & blanched ½ Lemon squeezed for juice Extra Virgin Olive Oil to taste Kosher Salt & Pepper 1 Parsnip, peeled into ribbons Soybean oil for frying For the “Crave…
California Avocado Cake with Coconut Sorbet and Graham Cracker Tuile
Ingredients: For California Avocado Cake: 3 cups coconut flour 1/2 cup gluten-free flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 cups granulated sugar 4 large eggs 3/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup grape seed oil 1-1/2 cups Fresh California Avocado For Toasted Coconut Sorbet…
My West Coast Culinary Adventure
Chad Myers, Executive Chef of Dubuque (Iowa) Golf & Country Club, made the most of his time after the 2018 Chef to Chef Conference in Seattle by exploring the culinary scenes in Washinton and California. He returned to his club inspired and excited. What does the Chef to Chef Conference, Pike’s Place Market, Kurt Cobain,…
Protecting Every Penny: The “Complimentaries” in Club Dining
As executive chefs, one of our most important responsibilities is to account for every cent when it comes to the cost of goods (COG), payroll, operational expenses, etc. Our mantra here at Hammock Dunes Club—one that our Chief Financial Officer and I both share—is: “Protect the Food Cost.” These are words I live by and…
Why We Need Progressive Coaching and Counseling
As managers we must coach and counsel our cooks and culinary staff to become better, more productive team members. In this day and age, it is important as chefs that we move with the trends of progressive coaching and counseling. Not only do the old ways of operating a professional kitchen not mesh with the…
Refreshed and Ready to Return
After his club’s annual shutdown, Grosse Pointe YC’s Executive Chef Colby Newman is eager to get back in the kitchen and share his love of food. I was right. Even though I got a lot accomplished, our annual club shut down here at Gross Pointe (Mich.) Yacht Club went way too fast. Before the shutdown,…
Mentoring: The Future of Cooking Depends on It
When I entered the food and beverage industry, I quickly realized how much there was to still learn. I also realized how little time I would have in my life to learn it. I was overcome by this lack of knowledge and skill and I constantly compared myself to the professionals I was surrounded by.…
Think ‘Outside the Box’ with Continuing Education
For Glenmoor CC’s Executive Chef Penelope Wong continuing education opportunities over the past year have pushed her into unfamiliar territory while inspiring her to grow and improve her culinary team and her F&B operation. One of the greatest perks of being a private club chef is the benefit of continuing education granted as a typical…
How to Design a Banquet Kitchen
Smart design elements can maximize efficiency and leverage technology. Successful club banquet kitchens feature specific components organized to optimize performance and efficiency. And while there is no such thing as the perfect design, chefs must begin by determining which elements will satisfy the most goals. Executive Chef Jason Hall, CMC, did this after he came…